Report: Rupert Murdoch 'unfit to lead'

LONDON, May 1 (UPI) -- Rupert Murdoch and his son, James, need to take responsibility for the hacking scandal at News International, a British parliamentary report said Tuesday.

The 121-page report also blasted top Murdoch executives, The Daily Telegraph reported. Les Hinton, a longtime Murdoch aide and former chief executive of the company, was "complicit" in covering up the hacking, and Rebekah Brooks, the Murdoch protege who also served as chief executive, may not have known how widespread the hacking was but shares responsibility for it, the report said.

While Murdoch and his son may not have known of the hacking, they fostered the culture that made it possible, the committee said.

"Rupert Murdoch is not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company," the report said.

The parliamentary committee was divided on Rupert Murdoch and his son, James, The Guardian said. The criticism was added after a 6-5 vote with all Conservatives opposing the move.

A number of former News of the World editors and executives have been arrested, including Brooks. The parliamentary committee said it would publish a supplementary report once legal proceedings are over.

The report also criticized London's Metropolitan Police for failing to continue the hacking investigation after Clive Goodman, the former royal editor of the now-defunct News of the World, and Glenn Mulcaire, a private detective, were convicted. Surrey Police did not follow up on evidence that a cellphone belonging to Milly Dowler, a missing schoolgirl, was hacked.

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